Six Africans stand trial for Dh710,000 robbery in UAE

The first robbery was committed at the ATM of the Dubai Commercial Bank on King Abdul Aziz Road

An armed gang of six Africans who robbed Dh710,000 from a money transport vehicle in Muweilah area were charged by the Sharjah Criminal Court. The Presiding Judge Hussain Alousovi said the accused assaulted the driver and brandished knives and arms to steal the bag containing the money.
After it came to light that a number of vehicles transporting money to various banks had been attacked by armed robbery gang, the Sharjah police team launched an investigation and nabbed the six accused.
The court charged the first suspect A.B and second suspect A.K with robbery and assault after they confessed to the crime, while the other three suspects, D.K and M.J and S.K, denied the accusation.
The court booked the fifth defendant on charges of resisting police officers when they tried to arrest him, and also for ramming two vehicles belonging to the Sharjah police. The fifth suspect denied the charges.
The arrest of the six-member gang led to three more gangs of 13 Nigerians who targeted ATM vehicles. These gangs executed the robberies in tandem. The robbers had come to the country on visit visas to commit the robberies.
The robbers committed four robberies targeting money transportation vehicles that were delivering cash to ATMs. The first robbery was committed at the ATM of the Dubai Commercial Bank on King Abdul Aziz Road, where the robbers assaulted security guards and fled with Dh340,000. After two days, the gang struck again, this time at an ATM near Safeer Mall in Al Nahda area, where they fled with Dh700,000. They then attacked a cash transportation vehicle in Al Muweilah area, making off with Dh710,000. A fourth attack at an ATM on Shaikh Mohammed bin Zayed Road was foiled by the police.
According to the police, the suspects transferred a part of the robbed money to their home country. The police have recovered the rest and restored it to their owners. The suspects were arrested from several apartments occupied by 30 to 40 people of the same nationalities.
The suspects were identified and arrested based on CCTV footages obtained from the banks and money exchange offices, said the police.